When Your Journey Takes a Detour



When I started this crazy writing journey, I always imagined getting an agent and then a book deal with a big publishing house. I never thought I'd get a huge deal or anything, but I would have been happy with whatever.

Little did I know, things didn't work out that way. My journey has been so different than what I expected. I did get an agent. I was so happy and excited when my book went on submission. But when it didn't sell, and my agent decided to pull it, I got a little down. Actually, a lot down. There were several factors involved when it came to leaving my agent. It still makes me sad, but it was right for me and my book.

After that whole thing, I thought about small presses. I'd never thought about them before. It wasn't part of my plan. What about the big book deal? The tours? The beautiful hardcovers I was supposed to have? I had to change my focus and think realistically. I had hope that my book was special enough. And even though a big book deal would have been nice, I just wanted people to be able to read it. So I submitted it to a small press I'd heard good things about. And two days later I had an offer. They have been awesome to work with and I couldn't be happier with the way my book has turned out.

What I'm trying to say, is this. Things sometimes don't work out the way you think they will. I always had one goal. A big publisher. A nice advance. But it wasn't supposed to happen that way for me. Obviously. And that's okay. There are so many ways to get our books out there now days. Do whatever works for YOU. As for my journey, I'm working on other books and will do the whole query thing again. I want an agent and I still would love to see my books on bookstore shelves. Sometimes you just have to take a little detour to start your career. I did. And I couldn't be happier. Maybe I'll land a great agent someday and get into bookstores. Maybe not. Either way, I'm enjoying the ride.

Has your writing career taken a different turn than you expected?
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Published on May 23, 2012 08:54
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